Ribbon feeding and guiding means for typewriting and like machines



June 27, 1950 E c .BRUMH 2,513,137 RIBBON FEED AND GUIDING MEANS FOR TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINES Filed May 28, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l jglfigik El i P1I IIIIIIIIIJI1I 2 O 0 006300000000 CD 00000000000 9 3 0 00000909006 June 1950 c. w. BRUMHILL I 2,513,137

RIBBON FEEDING AND GUIDING MEANS FOR TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINES Filed May 28, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 27, 1950 c, w, BRUMH|LL 2,513,137

RIBBON FEEDING AND GUIDING MEANS FOR TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINES Filed May 28, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Hi Inventor amm u m W W WW we June 27, 1950 c. w. BRUMHILL RIBBON FEEDING AND GUIDING MEANS FOR TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINES v 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 28, 1947 m Oh June 27, 1950 c. w. BRUMHILL 2,513,137

RIBBON FEEDING AND GUIDING MEANS FOR Y TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINES Filed May 28, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F/GG.

InverIlor y u-umJ -N Patented June 27, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RIBBON FEEDING AND GUIDING MEANS FOR TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINES Application May 28, 1947, Serial No. 750,920 In Great Britain June 13, 1946 4 Claims. (01. 197-151) This invention concerns printing machines for printing by the use of type characters and a previously coated web. Typewriters are the most common example of such machines but the invention is not restricted in its application to typewriters, since the disadvantages which the invention seeks to cure are liable to be experienced in other printing machines employing a coated ribbon or other web. These disadvantages are, however, most pronounced in typewriting machines of the kind (commonly known as hectograph machines) wherein type impressions are obtained on the back of a master sheet, of paper or the like, by a coated ribbon positioned at a typin station behind said sheet of paper between it and a support surface or roller, such machines having a carriage, including said support surface or roller, which travels in one direction as typing proceeds and is also movable in the reverse direction. The aforesaid master sheet is subsequently used for the production of a multiplicity of copies by a hectograph duplicating process. In traversing the hectograph ribbon, it is necessary to feed it or guide it by means of feed or guide rollers: unfortunately, the material with which the ribbon is coated is prone to become detached from the surface of the ribbon and to adhere to the periphery of the rollers. In the case of guide rollers it builds up on the periphery and tends to cause the ribbon to run out of its proper track, with the result that the edges of the ribbon drag on other parts of the machine. Like disadvantages occur in the case of feed rollers. Heretofore, attempts have been made to overcome these disadvantages in the case of feed rollers by deeply serrating said rollers or making them in the form of gear Wheels, but even so the accumulation of material detached from the ribbon tends to build up in the intervals between the serrations or teeth, with results that are inimical to the proper working of the machine.

While these disadvantages are particularly prevalent in the case of hectograph ribbons they also occur, although to a less extent, with type writer ribbons and an object of the present invention is to overcome them.

With this object in view the invention provides in a typewriting or like machine for print ing by the use of type characters and a coated Web, web feeding or guiding means comprising a roller over which the web passes, having a hollow interior and having its web-engaging periphery constituted by circumferentiallyiii) spaced elements arranged in a circular series and afiording between them spaces for the passage of coating material detached from the web. This roller is differentiated from the ear wheels previously employed in that it is hollow and that the elements forming its periphery afiord spaces between them for the passage of the coating material. Therefore, when the coating material becomes detached from the web, instead of accumulating on the periphery of the roller it is free to fall straight through the said roller and because of this facility for escape there is but little risk of any of the said material building up on the spaced elements. These elements may be in the form of vanes or blades or may be in the form of pins and it will readily be appreciated that because each element has but little more than line contact with the web there is little danger of the detached coating material adhering to it. In the case of feed mechanism it is preferred to provide two co-operatin'g rollers both of the construction specified above, affording a nip between them through which the Web is traversed by rotation. The elements of one roller may be arranged to mesh between the elements of the other roller and the two rollers may be provided with rims which roll together as the rollers rotate and determine the distance between their axes and the depth to which the elements mesh.

The foregoing and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the construction which will now be described as an example of the application of the invention to a typewriter of the kind specified with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of the machine;

Figure 2 is a, rear elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the carriage;

Figure 4 is a rear elevation on a larger scale, showing the take-up or draw-oii rollers at the rear of the machine;

Figure 5 is a vertical cross section through the mechanism shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an end elevation thereof looking from the right hand side of Figures 2 and 4;

Figure 7 is an elevation of one of the guide rollers on the carriage, and

Figure 8 is a cross section therethrough,

The invention is shown' as applied to a type writer havin a body I with a key board 2 incorporating a tabulating key 3, and a traversing carriage 4 which incorporates a platen 5 with a line space lever l and a rack release lever 8. This machine follows known practice in that it 3 is provided with means for feeding the typewriter ribbon 9 in front of the platen 5 and in front of the master sheet of paper at a typin station T. S. whereat the type heads strike. Additionally however, the machine is provided with means for feeding previously coated and dry hectograph paper ribbon l along the face of the platen at the back of the master sheet with its treated face forward. This ribbon i0 is positioned at the typing station T. S. by means of a guide ll (forming the subject of co-pending patent application Serial Number 624,159, dated October 24, 1945), now Patent No. 2,467,880, issued April 19, 1949, fixed to a stationary support l2 which curves forwards and downwards over the platen 5.

The hectograph ribbon it] follows a path which is described in co-pending patent application Serial Number 624,162, dated October 24, 1945, now Patent No. 2,467,881, issued April 19, 1949, It is drawn-from a supply spool 13 carried by a rotatable supply device I4 at the back of the machine and is drawn off by feed rollers l5, [5 of a take-up or draw-off device also having a stationary location at the back of the machine, the supply device and the draw-01f device being carried by stationary frame I! applied to the body of the machine. From the supply spool I 3 the ribbon passes over the stationary roller it! (i. e. occupying a stationary location) on the right hand end of the machine whence it goes to a roller I9 on the left hand end of the carriage 4, then to a roller 20 at the right hand end of the carriage. From the latter it runs forward under a horizontal guide roller 2|. at the front of the carriage, over an inclined guide 22, along the front of the platen 5 and through the guide H, over an inclined guide 23 at the left hand end of the carriage, under horizontal [guide rollers 24 and 25 and rearwards to guide roller 26 also carried on the left hand end of the carriage. From the roller 26 the ribbon runs along the back of the carriage to the roller 21 at the right hand end thereof and continues as a final lap to a stationary roller 28 at the left hand end of the machine whence it runs downwards to the draw-off rollers l5, It.

It will thus be seen that as. the carriage traverses to the left in typing or letter spacing, the finallap between the rollers 21, 28 is decreased so that the ribbon I0 is surrendered to the drawoff rollers I5, whilst the initial lap between the rollers l8, I9 is increased so that the ribbon is drawn off the supply spool l3. As a result the ribbon [9 at the front of the platen 5 travels with the carriage and successive areas thereof are presented at the typing station T. S. Preferably a ribbon clamp 29 is provided on the right hand end of the carriage to clamp the ribbon Ill to the carriage during letter spacing or typing traverse, but to release it when the carriage is traversed in either direction by hand and when the tabulator key 3 or the rack release lever B is depressed.

The ribbon I9 is so disposed that its coated face makes contact with the minimum number of guide rollers so as to reduce the danger of accumulation of coating material on such guide rollers. However, since the coated face must be presented forward at the typing station T. S. it will be appreciated from Fig. 3 that it is unavoidable that such face shall make contact with rollers 21 and 24; it is convenient also to employ a face contact roller at 25. The construction of these rollers is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. Each of them consists of a pair of axially spaced flanges 30 secured to sleeve 3| and carrying a series of icircumferentially-spaced axiallyextending pins 32 which form the ribbon-engaging periphery of the roller. The roller is therefore hollow and permits any coating material detached from the ribbon to pass through it, there being little danger of such material adhering to the pins.

The draw-off rollers I5, l6 are of equivalent construction. The upper roller l6 engages the coated face of the ribbon and therefore, following the foregoing descriptive matter, the desirability of this roller being of the specified construction will be understood. It is also highly desirable that. the co-operating roller 15 shall also be of a like construction, not only to avoid the danger that the detached coating material falling fI'Om the ribbon l9 and the upper roller I6 will adhere to said roller 15, but also to afford a good grip on the ribbon. In the illustrated construction the roller 15 consists of a hollow bobbin with side flanges or rims 33 on sleeve 34, which rims are set with a. spaced series of vanes or blades 35; likewise the roller It consists of spaced rims 36 on a sleeve 31, said rims being set with a spaced series of vanes or blades 33. The two rollers roll with their rims 33, 36 in rollingengagement and the vanes or blades 35, 38 mesh as best shown in Figure 4, Therefore there is. little danger of the coating material picking up on either roller and any material becoming detached from the ribbon may fall down through the hollow roller l5.

It may here be pointed out that either roller may consist of a single rim or side flange with the vanes or blades projecting axially from it. Such a roller may readily be produced by die pasting in metal or by moulding in synthetic resin or like mouldable material.

The upper or'pressure roller [6 is carried by an arm 39 pivoted at 40 and urged downwards by a spring 4! so as to bear against the roller l5, This lever 39 carries a knob 59 by which it may be raised, and at the free end carries a pair of upstanding guides 42 between which the ribbon I9 travels and also a wire stripper 43, the function of which is to prevent the ribbon being picked up by the roller to travel round with it.

The roller I5 is driven by a spring drum 44 which is wound up during the reverse traverse of the carriage by means of a cord 45, Figure 2, anchored to the carriage. One side of the drum 44 carries a ratchet wheel 46 which drives an adjacent toothed disc 4! by means of a spring loaded pawl 48, the drive being in the clockwise direction in Figure 2. Disc 41 drives a toothed disc 49 through the medium of a yielding driving device comprising a spring washer 50. which in effect provides a slipping clutch, and the roller I5 has a releasable driving engagement with the disc 49 by means of a pin 53 and is mounted on spindle 54 by means of a nut 55. Disc 49 cooperates with a spring loaded pawl 55 which, whenever the rack release lever 8 or the tabulator key 3 is depressed, engages the toothed periphery of the disc to prevent the draw-off roller l5 from rotating. Whenever the rotation of the draw-off roller is thus checked, the slip action of the washer 50 allows the spring drum 44 to wind up its connecting cord 45 and the feed roller I5 is therefore only free to rotate, and that in a clockwise direction as viewed from the rear, when the typewriter carriage 4 is travelling under the action of letter spacing. The disc 49 is also provided with a check pawl 51 to prevent rotation.

Desirably the driven roller 15 is provided with a knob or the like 60 by which it may be rotated by hand when fitting a new ribbon to the machine.

It is intended that the ribbon delivered from between the rollers l5, [6 shall be permitted to accumulate loosely on the floor or other surface or in a conveniently placed receptacle. Therefore, in order to prevent the toothed periphery of the disc 49 making contact with the used ribbon thus accumulated, the lower portion of the disc periphery is guarded by a cover or guard plate 58.

In conclusion, it will readily be apparent that in the foregoing arrangement there is no danger that the take-up device, or those guide rollers with which the coated face of the ribbon makes contact, will become clogged with the ribboncoating material. Furthermore, following this example of the application of the invention to a typewriter, its application to other typewriting machines employing a coated web and type charactors will present no difficulty.

I claim:

1. A typewriting or like machine, employing a coated ribbon and having a carriage which traverses in typing or letter-spacing towards one end of the machine and idly in the reverse direction towards the other end of the machine, a take-up device having a stationary location for taking; up used ribbon discharged from the carriage which device comprises a pair of co-operating rollers, and ribbon-guiding rollers for traversing a length of the ribbon with the carriage during the typing or letter-spacing traverse so as to present successive areas of the ribbon at the typing station and to discharge used ribbon during such traverse to the take-up device,

wherein each roller of the take-up device and 4 each of at least some of the guide rollers has a hollow interior and has its ribbon-engaging periphery'constituted by circumferentially spaced elements affording gaps between them for the passage of coating material detached from the ribbon.

2. A machine according to claim 1 having a guide roller of the specified construction, at each end of the carriage.

3. In a typewriter or like machine for printing by the use of type characters and a coated web, web-guiding means comprising two cooperating hollow rollers aifording a nip between them through which nip the web passes, each of which rollers comprises a pair of rims and circumferentially-spaced elements extending between the rims, and arranged in a circumferential spacing afiording between them gaps for the passage of coating material detached from the web, and the rims of the two rollers being arranged to roll together.

4. In a typewriting or like machine for printing by the use of type characters and a previously-coated dry web that is guided in a path to and from a station at which the printing is effected,

web-guiding means for receiving the coated web and guiding it on its path comprising a hollow roller over the periphery of which the web passes, which roller has its web-engaging periphery constituted by circumferentially spaced elements arranged in a circular series and affording between them spaces for the passage through the roller of coating material detached from the web.

CLAUDE WELLINGTON BRUMHHJL.

REFERENCES CITED lhe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,832,007 Eckland et a1 Nov. 17, 1931 2,258,769 Kittel Oct. 14, 1941 

